This invention relates generally to vertical auger or vertical screw type bag filling machines for filling products into bags, and particularly to a vertical auger type bag filler having a vibrating bowl, inverted venting cone, and a rotating agitator assembly.
The above referenced patent discloses a vibrating hopper with inverted cone connected to a vertical auger bag filling machine via a cross auger conveyor. This system has proven effective for de-aerating and filling many types of powdered and granular products that were previously, at best, difficult to de-aerate and fill. In particular, the system provides great adaptability to handling different types of products through adjustments and fine tuning of the various elements along the system, and provides for adjustment of those components.
Other efforts to combine the de-aerating effects of a vibrating hopper with the advantages of an automated vertical bottom-fill auger and bag handling system have been attempted. In particular, the Model 3CM-F Automatic Bagging Machine by the Newlong Machine Works, Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan (American-NewLong Inc., Indianapolis, Ind.) incorporates a vibrating hopper and a two vertical screw feeds which may be adapted between a standard configuration and a specialized configuration for extremely fine powdered products.
For extremely fine powdered products, the Newlong system utilizes a service hopper which feeds product into a vibratile hopper. The vibratile hopper is disposed above a conical primary fill hopper having a fill tube and screw feeder with a bag elevator mechanism which permits bottom filling of bags. The bags are lowered by the bag elevator mechanism when the filling process commences, with the filling cycle being controlled by a timer that interrupts rotation of the screw feeder after a pre-set time. The bag top is shaped and the bag is then forwarded to a secondary fill station which is also disposed beneath the vibratile hopper. The bag is supported from above on a load-cell weight scale, and a secondary screw feeder fills the bag with the balance of a pre-set weight of product. The bag is then transferred via a conveyor to a bag inserter and bag top slitter, and the top of the bag is then sealed using a heat sealer or stitching machine.
However, there are several disadvantages to such a system. Four hoppers or bowls are required to accomplish both the vibrational de-aeration process and the independent primary filling and secondary topping processes, with at least three of those hoppers or bowls being disposed in generally vertical alignment. Including the height of the fill tubes and conduits connecting the hoppers or bowls, the system then requires significant minimum interior ceiling height for clearance. The system requires two outlet ports from the vibratile hopper, thus preventing effective use of auxiliary equipment within the vibratile hopper such as an inverted venting cone, vertical auger, or an agitator assembly. Since the bag is transferred between a primary fill station and a topping station with correctional weighing commencing after the bag reaches the topping station, there is a significant delay in processing bags through the system. The system requires two independent sets of screw feeder drives for the separate filling stations, and if the system is adapted for automated responsive filling, two sets of controls for measuring product density within the two fill tubes and adjusting the revolutions of the two screw feeders are necessary. The system for filling extremely fine powders is distinct from the standard arrangement, and tuning either system for different types of products can only be accomplished by synchronizing several system elements.